April 2009

TEACHER TRAINING

This is the final term for current Joshua Teachers Training College students. They have just finished three months out in schools on a final block teaching practice. They were assessed by JTTC mentors three times during that period. Many of them are showing foundations necessary for truly becoming great teachers. Now they are back at En Gedi studying for their final Government exams which will be held from the 6th to 16th of May. The students are very self motivated with their personal study and would appreciate prayers for their success!

LEADERS’ SPECIAL MODULE

A special module of only 7 weeks’ duration for some 25 leaders from three African nations ended mid-February. This will enable us to conduct our biggest-ever graduation (along with primary and secondary teachers) on the last Saturday of November this year! … Watch this space!

NEW PRE-PRIMARY CLASSROOM

Our new pre-primary classroom is rising amongst the trees beside the Kijenge River and should be ready by the end of May. Meantime our growing pre-primary school is conducting class as usual, but this time using our leaders’ lecture room while leaders are out from En Gedi completing their theses and research papers.

JOSHUA MAGUGU SCHOOLS

These schools – Pre-primary, Primary and Secondary – are powering along with over 500 children on board, and not without challenges! The greatest of these is trying to find capable, there-to-stay teachers who have the welfare of these needy children and their community at heart.

MAGUGU ‘BUS’ CRASH

Recently Lynda and Joanna were in Magugu at the time of a terrible truck-come-bus crash. An old truck laden with 83 children flipped, pinning nearly all of them beneath it. Shortly after, Lynda and her team were called in to pray at the clinic-come-hospital, now overwhelmed with broken bodies, groans and crowds of lamenting parents. Only one child died, and all received prayer in Jesus’ wonderful name, often asking the team to return and pray over them again. The Muslim population marvelled, never knowing such confidence and love in the raw face of disaster. Grateful thanks have been extended to the Joshua team and the Christian testimony of Joshua Schools continues to grow in the region. Our God is good!

JEREMY STEPHENSON BOOK RELEASE

Jeremy (with Nadine Feser writing the script) has printed his first book of outstanding photos on the theme of radical transformation amongst the Maasai tribespeople. 60% of proceeds from the sale of this beautiful book go to establishing schools for Maasai children in ‘bush conditions’. Read all about it on www.en-kata.com.